I, Too, Speak of the Rose

by Emilio Carballido

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Summary

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Setting and Opening

In the vibrant yet tumultuous backdrop of 1960s Mexico City, the stage is set for a gripping tale of two impoverished youths whose lives irrevocably shift after inadvertently derailing a train. As the narrative unfolds, the consequences of their actions are illuminated through the multifaceted perceptions of those around them. The play unfolds through twenty-one concise scenes, beginning with the enigmatic Medium who, bathed in a solitary spotlight, delivers a hauntingly beautiful monologue. Her heart, she describes, is akin to a sea anemone, holding fragments of everything she has witnessed, and she claims to foresee unfolding events.

The Chain of Events

The subsequent scene plunges the audience into darkness, pierced only by the calamitous sound of a train crash. A Newsboy energetically peddles newspapers, heralding the shocking news of the tram derailment. The scene then transitions to a bustling cityscape where two youthful souls, Tona and Polo, endeavor to scrounge coins from a telephone booth, their eyes set on candy. They fib to a man intent on using the booth, insisting the phone is out of order. Their triumph in retrieving a coin is fleeting, as they recklessly gamble it away, along with Tona's bus fare, in a wager with a candy vendor. Despite the setback, Polo finds another coin, allowing them to indulge in sweets. Tona quizzes Polo about his absence from school, and Polo confesses his lack of shoes and funds as the culprits. The pair is joined by Maximino, a watchful older friend lamenting his motorcycle woes, which he plans to mend at his workplace garage. Tona playfully inspects his wallet, coaxing a signed picture from him to adorn her mirror, teasing about his cross-eyed girlfriend.

Escalation and Consequences

From this light-hearted moment, the scene shifts to a dump, where Tona and Polo encounter a scavenger pleading for money to buy a drink. In a moment of generosity, Tona gives away all their money. They stumble upon various items—a discarded engine, thorny flowers, and an old tub they deem perfect for planting. Discovering it filled with concrete, they recklessly place the tub on the train tracks, hoping to free the contents as a train approaches. The Newsboy returns, announcing the disaster as the handiwork of delinquent children.

The Medium and Public Reaction

The Medium reappears, waxing poetic about the enigmatic nature of animals—dogs, cats, hens, and eggs, while marveling at the intuitive wisdom of butterflies, bees, and snakes. Meanwhile, as the Newsboy continues his sales pitch, a lady and gentleman discuss the derailment and the poverty-driven barbarism of the children involved.

Social Commentary and Interpretation

The focus then shifts to a schoolroom scene, where a teacher sternly lectures on the perils of delinquency, using Polo as a cautionary tale. Elsewhere, two university students ponder the incident with a mix of envy and admiration, interpreting the children's act as a courageous rebellion against societal norms.

Maximino receives a call at his garage job, pleading with his boss for time to rescue Tona and Polo from jail. His boss questions their reckless antics by the train tracks.

Scenes of Deprivation and Dreams

The scene of the accident finds a scavenger busily stuffing his sack with goods from the wreckage. As destitute individuals gather to collect food, they grapple with the moral ambiguity of their actions, summoning family to haul away their newfound fortune.

Once more, the Medium graces the stage, recounting a dream shared by two brothers in separate cities. The dream sends them journeying to each other's homes, leading to an unexpected rendezvous in the middle of the path. With their destination unclear, they erect...

(This entire section contains 1064 words.)

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a small church and altar, where they engage in prayer and dance.

The Newsboy reemerges, amplifying his report to claim the train disaster's damage exceeds half a million pesos.

Personal Repercussions

In subsequent scenes, Tona's mother and sister prepare for a jail visit, commenting on Tona's newspaper photo. Polo's mother visits him, lamenting his imprisonment and chastising his failure to evade capture, while their absent fathers bear the blame for their waywardness.

The Newsboy's voice rings out once more, declaring "schizoid children" responsible for a public trauma.

Analytical Perspectives

Two contrasting interpretations of the event unfold: a Freudian psychologist attributes every action to suppressed sexual energy, while a Marxist economist frames the children's behavior as an inevitable uprising against enduring oppression.

Maximino visits Tona in prison, curious about her motives, but she is preoccupied with her photo in the paper and whether Maximino will carry it in his wallet instead of his girlfriend's. She implores him to keep only her image, and he agrees.

Festivities and Frustrations

The scavengers reconvene at the dump, celebrating their windfall from the train wreck. They barter goods for food and drink, including tequila, leading to a growing revelry.

In a final scene, the lights focus on Maximino at the garage, as he calls his girlfriend to explain his recent actions, ultimately letting slip an unkind remark about her appearance.

The curtain rises, revealing an Announcer clutching a delicate rose, his demeanor echoing that of an enigmatic game show host. With a flourish, he poses a question to his captivated audience. "What do I hold in my hand?" he inquires before embarking on an eloquent soliloquy. He ponders the fate of a rose as its petals drift away—what does it transform into then? His musings deepen as he scrutinizes a single rose fiber, ultimately challenging the audience with a conundrum: out of the whole rose, the solitary petal, and the fragile fiber, which image encapsulates the essence of the rose? What, indeed, is the genuine rose?

Enter the Newsboy, bursting with enthusiasm, proclaiming the newspaper's promise of delivering the absolute truth about the train wreck. The Medium makes a fleeting appearance, offering her insights into the catastrophe. She envisions the children, interwoven with their surroundings, uncovering a profound truth. With a burst of energy, Tona and Polo whirl onto the scene, their exuberant dance filling the space. As the Medium revisits the event from a perspective divergent from that of the two professors, she reveals a glimpse of what lies ahead—Polo as a proud owner of a garage and Tona in wedded bliss with Maximino.

The play concludes in a rhythmic chant, intertwining the destinies of Tona, Polo, Maximino, and the Medium. This powerful incantation celebrates their unity, symbolizing them as "a single beating heart."

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